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USC linebacker target Manny Bowen (6-3 206) of Barnegat, NJ was at USC last weekend for his first upclose look at the Gamecock program. Bowen, who has 32 offers, was impressed with what he saw.
“I enjoyed my visit. I had a good time meeting all of the coaches, seeing the facilities and everything and watching the coaches instruct the players. I spent time with coach Mangus and talked with coach Spurrier. We sat in his office and he told me where I stood with them. Seems like he’s a wise, intelligent guy. How he changes the game for his team really impresses me. We took our time and made sure I saw everything.”
Bowen also has visited Penn State and Rutgers and is going back to Penn State this weekend for a cook-out. Obviously Bowen has schools close to home he could choose but he said distance from home, near or far, won’t be a factor.
“That’s what I realized when I was at South Carolina I felt good there. The coaches made it feel like it’s a good place to be and I was home. I liked it and probably get down there soon again and see the campus and get that feeling of staying there.”
Bowen said he talked with several current Gamecocks from his area of the Northeast including receiver Damiere Byrd. “They were telling me there’s not that much of a big change,” Bowen said.
Bowen said some of his top schools right now are USC, Penn State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. He also mentioned Clemson and has talked with the Tigers’ Brent Venables but added that he’s not getting much contact from them.
Bowen said he’s in no rush on a decision but would like to make one before his season. Last season he had 68 tackles with 4 interceptions. He also plays wide receiver.

DB Damon Arnette (6-2 185) of Fort Lauderdale spent Friday at USC attending the Gamecocks’ first summer camp session. Arnette flew in, worked out in the morning session, hung out around the stadium for the second session then flew back to Florida.
He got plenty done on the field but not enough off of it so he will return Friday with his parents for a weekend visit. And the chance of a commitment to the Gamecocks hangs over the visit.
“It went great, it went great,” Arnette said of his camp workout. “I wasn’t there as long as I wanted to be because of my flight so that’s why I’m going back up there next week. I called them (his parents) when I got there and told them I liked it.”
Arnette plays corner and receiver in high school but USC likes him as a corner. USC secondary coach Grady Brown has been recruiting Arnette and has given him a good indication of how he would fit in with his unit.
“They play man on man and they like pressing,” Arnette said. “They want to do more pressing and that’s what I’m good at.”
Arnette said because of the camp he didn’t get a chance to talk one on one with Steve Spurrier but that’s something he plans to do next week. And he didn’t rule out the possibility of a commitment, something some observers thought would happen on this first visit. He is also considering Kentucky and Ohio State. He has visited Lexington and plans to get to Columbus July 26th.
“I wouldn’t say I have any leaders yet,” Arnette said. “I’d like to take a trip to all the schools before I made a top three. If one stands out the most and I feel like that’s where I want to go, I wouldn’t have a leader. I would just commit right away. Kentucky, I’ve seen more of the school because I was there longer. That’s why I need to give South Carolina another chance. That’s why I’m going back up there to see more of the school because I was at Kentucky longer than I was at South Carolina.”
Arnette said he didn’t get a tour of the USC campus Friday because after the morning camp session he hung out with some Gamecock players in the afternoon. He did get a look at the inside workings of the stadium such as the lockerroom and weight room.
Some of Arnette’s other offers include Florida State, Indiana, Ole Miss, Duke, Louisville, Cincinnati and Wisconsin. He visited Florida State for the Seminoles’ spring game.

DB Rico Merriweather Jr. of Augusta is looking for offers in South Carolina and is showing of his talents this week to Clemson and USC coaches. Merriweather arrived at Clemson Monday and will leave Wednesday. He will be at USC Saturday.
“It’s going good, I love it,” Merriweather said of his Clemson experience. “I’ve been talked to coach Morris. I’m on their “watch list.”
Merriweather said the Tigers and Gamecocks see him as a safety. He’s been hearing from USC recruiter Everette Sands and is optimistic about getting an offer from the Gamecocks, the team he is favoring at this point.
“I feel like there’s serious interest,” he said. “From all of my recruiting, that’s the most serious interest. When I’m there, I feel like I’m at home.”
Merriweather camped at Georgia Tech last Friday and will also go to a camp at Duke.
He has an offer from Michigan State and is also drawing interest from Minnesota, Indiana, Furman, Troy, Georgia Southern and Western Carolina. He would like to make a decision before the start of his season.

South Carolina extended an offer to Hernando (Ms.) three-star offensive tackle Matt Womack earlier this week. The 6-foot-7, 320 pounder also holds offers from LSU, Ole Miss Mississippi State, Louisville and others. He is a right tackle and has all the tools to be a good one. He and Shawn Elliott have had discussions about him visiting sometime in July, with the week of 24th as the current target. However, I was also told the trip could happen much sooner than that. Womack is good friends with current South Carolina center commitment Jozie Milton and the two have talked about potentially attending the same school.
Womack is currently further along as a run blocker than he is as a pass blocker, but I love the way he comes off the ball. Here’s a link to his junior highlights:http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2828826/...ghts/108137375